FRANCE – MAINE ET LOIRE (I)

JUNE 2015

ST FLORENT LE VIEIL

By the second week in June I had visited all the towns and villages near St Philbert de Grand Lieu and decided to move inland up the Loire Valley.

It took a fair time to strike camp and I hadn't booked anywhere to stay but thought I should do so after reaching Ancenis around 3:00 pm. But I didn't fancy the effort of making camp just a couple of hours after packing everything up and so searched on the iPad for “Chambres d'Hotes”.

This revealed a number of candidates between Ancenis and St Florent Le Vieil and I tried to 'phone the nearest. As there was no reply I drove past the place that was already occupied and had all the appearance of being a Gites for weekly rental rather than an overnight B&B.

There was again no answer to the second number I tried but then struck lucky with my third attempt when I was fortunate to call the number for “Aux Lumières de Loire at St Florent le Vieil.

Lucie and Jean Sauvestre were charming and friendly hosts at their home high on the hill just below the Abbey that's a prominent landmark above the river's south bank.

The property was built in the 17^th Century as a Presbytery and even though modernised and elegantly furnished I experienced a feeling of historical continuity when staying there – which I did for nearly a whole week despite having intended it should be just an overnight stay when first arriving.

The grounds extend some way down the hill above the riverbank and create a fine viewpoint at which to relax with tea or an apéritif.

There is a short driveway and small garden at the side of the house and inside a wall with locked double-gates. Guests normally park in a public space outside the property but as my car was full of camping gear Jean did me a great favour by moving his own vehicle outside and allowing me to use his normal space in the internal driveway. Furthermore he allowed me to set up my mobile fridge containing perishable foods in an outhouse without electricity but to daily recharge in his garage the 12 V battery used to power it under those circumstances.

On top of all this he and Lucie shared wine with me on more than one occasion so altogether I felt my stay was more like living en famille with friends than being a paying guest.

Descending the hill from the Chambres d'Hotes to the cycle paths on either side of the Loire is easy and re-ascending more difficult, even if you walk and push the bike, which I was compelled to do by age and lack of fitness! It's not far though so I soon got used to it, and even found I could ride when approaching on the upper road from the west.

During my stay and in addition to short rides around town I made one round trip by car to Champtoceaux and Oudon, and one in each direction along the Loire by bike.

CHAMPTOCEAUX AND OUDON

I chose to visit these towns because they both had castles controlling the river crossing between them.

Fortifications were first constructed in these strategic spots in the Stone Age and later, in the first Millenia AD, because of hostility between the different inhabitants north and south of the river and in an effort to provide security against vikings from Normandy who made raids deep into the interior up the Loire and other rivers.

An early medieval castle was built at Champtoceaux around 1,000 AD by the Count of Anjou who also established a toll bridge over the Loire just below.

The castle was besieged many times over the next 200-300 years as the Counts of Anjou, The Dukes of Brittany, the King of France (region around Paris in this period) and the King of England (Henry II was also Count of Anjou and married Eleanor of Aquitaine whose earlier marriage to the King of France was annulled in 1152 (do keep up with the twists and turns of Medieval History!).

Jean V, Duke of Brittany, was captured by rivals and imprisoned in Champtoceaux but freed by armies created by his wife Joan of France with the help of her English allies. Upon his release, in 1432, Jean V ordered the destruction of the city and military structures within the walls so all that remains today are the impressive gate towers.

Chomptoceaux Castle Gateway

Little remains of early fortifications at Oudon but a later castle built around 1400, can still be visited. Though modified in later centuries it still conveys a sense of great defensive strength. Its main feature is a single Keep in tower form with its own moat and drawbridge set within an outer moated wall containing a fortified tower and gatehouse.

Oudon Castle

There are four internal floors and of course a fifth comprising the roof. On each floor there is one huge room and one of smaller size with fireplaces, wardrooms and so on incorporated within the thickness of the walls. Each room is now used to exhibit artefacts and video presentations illustrating past times and events.

Outer Drawbridge and Gatehouse Towers

Gateway seen from the Top of the Tower

Modern Bridge over the Loire from the Top of the Castle

THE RIVER LOIRE

The Loire is the longest river in France and has been used by humans for millenia – from before the stone age to modern times.

Like the Nile, the river has been a hugely important source of food, of irrigation water for the surrounding countryside, and as a means of transport.

Flow rates vary greatly from low in the summer months to extremely high in late winter and early spring when rain and snow-melt on land drained by the river reach their peak. In early history this resulted in widespread flooding over the river banks in the “wet” season and the emergence of shifting sandbanks in the “dry”.

Over the centuries humans attempted to control these natural changes by constructing Wooden Embankments and Levées, and by dredging to keep open a channel navigable in the dry season by specially constructed shallow draft craft.

These forces are still present in the modern age as flood control measures permit cultivation all year round on nearby land but lead to faster and deeper currents in the wet season and more extensive sandbanks in the dry.

INGRANDES AND LE FRESNE SUR LOIRE

To reach the north bank of the river at St Florent one has to cross two bridges as there is an island here created by a secondary stream departing the main river upstream of the town and rejoining it downstream.

On the Bridge at St Florent

View Upstream

The cycle path eastwards on the north bank mostly runs along a gravel surfaced track that I found to be a little jarring but otherwise easy to ride as it was wide and flat.

The towns of Le Fresne sur Loire and Ingrandes merge into one another and one needs to continue to the latter to reach a bridge over the river that must be crossed to rejoin the main Loire à Vélo route which lies along the D210 between the end of the bridge and St Florent.

Sandbank and Le Fresne sur Loire from the South

The Hostellerie de la Gabelle is located at the end of the bridge in St Florent and has an extensive patio to the river bank on the far side of the D210.

Upon returning from this ride I saw and heard a boisterous crowd sat at tables in this area and speaking English. They turned out to be very friendly motoring enthusiasts from the UK who invited me to join them to help quaff large quantities of Champagne before they had dinner at the Hostellerie.

They had crossed the channel and arrived from UK that day in a fleet of their own fast cars - Jaguars, Mercedes - BMW's etc - and were on their way to watch the racing at Le Mans the next day. They made the same trip every year and said the main hazards of this whirlwind tour were the French Traffic Police who were stationed on the motorways precisely because they knew so many UK drivers were coming and likely to exceed the speed limits.

ANCENIS

My second full ride on the bike (35 km) was over the St Florentin bridge again and westwards on the north bank returning on winding country roads south of the river.

View downriver from Bridge at St Florent

Much of the track on the outward journey was again on a gravel surface with a few smoother sections near Ancenis. On this latter section I was again delighted by wild flowers beside the track.

Wayside Poppies

There is a castle at Ancenis built about a century after the one at Oudon and also having some unique and interesting characteristics - but it was closed on the day I was in town. There are also residential Chateaux not far away and modern amusements such as boat rides to be enjoyed.

But the highlight of my visit was lunch at a restaurant on the eastern edge of town where the cycle path joins the normal road system. Here, I took my time over a magnificent shell fish platter with fresh bread rolls, a bottle of mineral water and a glass of wine.

AN EXPEDITION BY CAR TO SAUMUR

Towards the end of my stay Jean drew attention to a forthcoming cycling event at Saumur that I attended as a day trip by car from St Florent but will describe in my next post on this blog. An incidental benefit of this trip was a preliminary scouting of potential cam^sites for my next stop.